Tätortsgränserna

Tätortsgränserna are the delimitation lines used to define the borders of Sweden’s urban areas, or tätorter, for statistical purposes. They are produced by Statistics Sweden (Statistiska centralbyrån, SCB) and are not legal or administrative boundaries. A tätort can span multiple municipalities, and a single municipality can contain several tätorter.

Definition and basis: A tätort is a densely built-up area with at least 200 inhabitants, in which the distance between buildings is at most 200 meters. The tätortsgränseren delineate the contiguous built-up area that meets this criterion. If gaps between buildings exceed 200 meters, the urban area ends; if separate clusters lie within 200 meters of each other, they are counted as a single tätort.

Updates and methodology: The borders are revised annually based on data on housing, buildings and population. The delineation relies on geographic and address data rather than administrative boundaries, meaning the lines describe where people live in a built environment, not where authorities claim jurisdiction.

Usage and purpose: The tätortsgränserna are central to statistical reporting of urban populations and are used in urban planning, transportation, housing, service provision and demographic analyses. They help distinguish urban from rural areas for policy and research, while not serving as legal borders.

Accessibility and limitations: Maps and datasets of tätortsgränserna are published by SCB and are widely used by researchers, local governments and planning authorities. As statistical constructs, the boundaries may change with methodological updates and do not necessarily align with municipal or regional boundaries.